Case hold-down apparatus



Dec. 17', 1957 A A, NORIN l 2,816,645

CASE HOLD-DOWN APPARATUS Filed Deo'. 8, 1955 INVENTOR. ,vz/.mv '6. 1Y0/env BY 9%.", 71m.. *74A l HTTYL:

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CASE' HOLD-DDWNAPPARATUS Allan A. Noi-in, Chicago, Ill., assigner, by mesne assign- `nificrts, to, Geo. I. lMeyer Manufacturing Co., Cudahy,

ApplicationDecember 8, 1955, Serial No. 551,901

10 Claims. (Cl. 198-29) Thisv invention relates v.to casel unloader. apparatus wherein containers are` removedl from thexcases, or. cartons that hold; thesame, and more particularlyto .hold-downA apparatus Voperative to hold a case or carton .whilercontainersyarelifted therefrom; i The` invention is particu-` larly usefulA i'n conjunction withA caseV unloaders forfbottles,

andlinwhichxthe bottles are lifted infa generally: verticaldirectionxfrom` their; case, while the, case isfheld down upon the conveyor ,or,platform;;.

. In- .apparatus of the' type herein considered,containersr such: as bottles:are;, positioned Within a carton that` is usually' compartmented so as to receive. l2 or 36bottles therein- In-l automatic; machinery fon-mechanically removingthe bottles, from their, case- ,orl carton,; it is frequently; necessary to mechanically hold the` carton whilei` Severalyr'easons may, neces-y` bottles fare'lifted: therefromr sitate the holding-of the cartons, one of the mostiapparent being thatfbottlesfpositioned therein may; not be-.-seated within their compartments in f perfect alignment; and` when a lifting force is applied thereto, it will be; transferred to thecartonandtend to lift the same.

An` objectl ofj this invention is to, provide case, holddown apparatus f0r ;use in equipment-wherein;containers` are.` removedA fromqcartons-or cases, A notherobjectv of the;` invention-is inthe provision of hold-down apparatus.y

that `functions to engage l the longitudinal; yupper z edges` of a bottle'case so as vto apply a downwardly directedforce thereon `that prevents upward; movement of the, c ase when bottles are ywithdrawn upwardly therefrom. Still another object of the invention is,inytheprovision of;

hold-downapparatus` ofthe character-1 described which not only engages -the upperlongitudinal edges, ofV a case or carton, but atthesame timey engages the, side` walls thereof, andfthat is provided with means'wherebyit .automatically compensates for both height andwidth variationsj from `a predetermined standard of cartons; and

cases.

A, further object is that of providing a combination.:` case-.hold-down `and case alignment device that functions to align casesdongitudinally as they-are'` movedalong a conveyor track, `and lwhich thereafter functions to f main,- tain. the cases irl-.alignment and `to constrain them from vertical movement-while ,containersi are lifted-therefrom;

Yet a further object is to provide apparatus ofthe character describedwhich is,quickly .andeasilyathustedsofr aslto accommodate,` cases, and Kcart-,ons of v yvarious size.

Still a further object is in the provision of spring biased i.

guide:V and.- holdi-down, membersZ that, -while being, lreadily adjusted so as-ftoA accommodate cartons and .casesof predetermined width and height, arek yieldable both vertically and-A horizontally so asftoA accommodate some deviation t in,eitheror` ,both-ofthese dimensions. Additional objects andadvantages wi1l,appear as` the specification develops.

An embodimentof the invention isillustrated in the i accompanying drawing, inwhiclll Fiygurel isa top plan View' of the apparatus; Figure-2 isfasiuefviewainelevation-with -pafrslbrolenfawyvare K rates Patent G l asians ICC being illustratedin section; andFigure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of Figure 2, butl showing the apparatus in position with respect to a conveyor.

Ordinarily, a pair of hold-down and alignment devices will be employed in connection with case unloader-appa ratus. For purpose of simplifying the drawing and the description thereof, only one such `device is illustrated; and` itshould be noted that the corresponding device,

which ofcourse will be positioned along the opposite side.

of the conveyor and in spaced relation with the device shown, will be precisely of thesanie construction and will operate and function inan identical manner.- Figure 3 shows the device in its operative relation with a conveyorv thatforms a part of case unloader apparatuswith whichj the hold-down devices can be employed. The conveyor assembly comprises generally U-shaped channels 10 thatA extendlongitudinally of the case unloader, and in the Supillustration only one of these channels is shown. ported for rotatable movement `within the channels are shaftsll, each having a roller 12 mounted thereon. An

endless-,belt 13 is entrained about thev rollers, at least` one of which will be driven so thatthey belt 13 forms a;

moving yplatform that advances cartons 14` (shown by broken linesin Figure 3) into operative relation with the'y hold-down devices and guide and through the case un` loader apparatus.

Mounted on the upper legUof-the channel '10 is a support block 15 that carries `a mounting plate 16. The t secured thereby by any suitable means, suchv as bolts or byspot welding, etc. As is shown most clearly in Figure 2, the post or standard 18 is llattened along one side thereof, as is shown at 20. Slidably mounted upon the post 1S: is a support sleeve 21 having a protuberance or boss,.22 extending outwardly therefrom along one sidewhich has a bore therethrough that is threaded for threadedly receiving a cap screw 23; The cap screw 23 bears against one `end of a locking pin 24, that at its other end .abuts the flattened surface 20 of the post. The position of the support sleeve 21 vertically along the post 13 can be readily selected, andthe sleeve, then locked in position by tightening the cap screw 23 so as to frictionally engage the lockingy pin24 with the llattened surface, of the post.

It will 4be appreciated that the cap screw 23 could extend through the sleeve 21 and into engagement with the post 18, but preferably a locking pin 24 is interposed between the cap screw and post so as to prevent marring of the post. That is, the locking pin may be made of a material softer than the post sothat if any deformation is caused by the frictional grip therebetween, the locking pin will deforrnv in deference to the post.

`The sleeve 21' has a restricted lower end portion Z5 that is threaded for threadedly receiving an enlarged` nut or' collar 26. lt is evident from Figure 2 that therestricted end portion of the sleeve merges with the larger portionV thereof so as to form an inclined shoulder 27'." The collar 26has an inclined shoulder 28- that corresponds:4

with thel shoulder 27, and defines therewith a restricted neck that rotatably receives thereabout a plate bracket Patented Dec. 17, 1957' The block 15 is) rigidly secured to the and sleeve 21, and at its forward end is equipped with a hold-down member 30 having at its forward end an upwardly turned lip 31. Depending from the hold-down member 30 is a guide 32 that, as is most clear from Figure 1, has an outwardly diverging or outwardly curved mouth 33. The guide 32 may be welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the hold-down member 30, and that member may be formed integrally with or separate from the plate bracket 29. The bracket is not only pivoted about the neck, but has generally a loose fit thereon that also affords a tilting or tipping with impact thereto.

Extending forwardly of the sleeve 21, generally parallel with and in spaced relation with the plate bracket 29, is a carrier arm 34 that adjacent its forward end has an inverted L-shaped hanger or bracket 35 secured thereto. The horizontal leg of the inverted L-shaped bracket may be welded to the arm 34 so that the vertical leg of the bracket extends downwardly therefrom and is generally parallel with the post 18. The horizontal leg is elongated and extends laterally outwardly from the arm 34 and beyond the dimensional limits of the sleeve 21 which is slightly wider than the arm. The outer end portion of the horizontal bracket leg is apertured, as shown at 36, for receiving a stud 37. The diameter of the aperture 36 is somewhat broader than the diameter `of the stud 37-so that the stud can shift in lateral or horizontal directions within the aperture.

At its lower end, the stud 37 is received within and is secured to a foot 38 by means of a pin 39 that extends transversely through the foot and through an opening provided in the enlarged lower end 40 of the stud which projects into an opening provided for that purpose in the shoe. The pin 39 pivotally receives the apertured end 40 of the stud. A coil spring 41 seating at one end against the underside of the horizontal leg of the hanger 35, and at its other end against the enlarged lower end 40 of the stud, surrounds the stud and biases the same downwardly. The upper end of the stud may be threaded for threadedly receiving the lock nuts 42 which provide an adjustable stop for limiting downward movement of the stud.

The vertical leg of the hanger is also apertured at its lower end, as is indicated at 43, for passing a stud 44 therethrough. In this instance also, the diameter of the opening or aperture is slightly greater than that of the stud so as to permit lateral shifting of the stud within the opening. The outer end of the stud may be threaded, as shown at 45, for threadedly receiving a pair of lock nuts 46 that provide an adjustable stop to limit movement of the stud toward the right, as viewed in Figure 2. The opposite end of the stud 44 is enlarged in a manner similar to that of stud 37, and is apertured for pivotally receiving a key or pin 39. Surrounding the stud and seating at one end against the vertical leg of the hanger 35, and at its other end against the enlarged end portion 47 of the stud, is a coil spring 48 that biases the stud toward the right, as seen in Figure 3.

The shoe 3S is lsecured to the plate bracket 29 by any suitable means, such as by welding. This interrelation of the shoe and plate is best seen in Figure 3.

In use of the devices, they will first be mounted along opposite sides of the conveyor 13, as shown in Figure 3, with the diverging end portions 33 of the guide members faced forwardly so as to define a mouth into which cartons 14 enter. As cartons are advanced by the moving conveyor 13, they will engage the guides 32 and will be aligned longitudinally thereby. The guides 32 will resiliently grip the vertical side walls of the carton, for the spring 48 in pressing inwardly against the shoe 38 will have its biasing force transferred through the shoe to the bracket plate 29, press-down member 30 and therethrough to the guide. The guides will then be effective to longitudinally center the carton 14 with respect to the conveyor 13 and with respect to the case unloader apparatus that will be associated therewith. By the samel token.

the devices are able to accommodate divisions in the width of the cartons because the spring 48 resiliently urges each guide 32 inwardly, and will then permit some outward yielding thereof. It is apparent that lateral displacement of the guide members is afforded because the plate brackets 29 are pivotally carried by the sleeve 21 and support c ollar 26.

The hold-down members 30 will resiliently engage the upper longitudinal edge of a carton, and the up-turned lips 31 at the forward ends of the hold-down members will permit ready movement of the cartons into position beneath the hold-down members. The spring biasing force urging the shoe 38 downwardly will, in turn, yieldably urge the hold-down member into gripping engagement with the side walls of the carton. irregularities in the carton in its vertical dimension is afforded through the yieldability of the spring 41.

The hold-down devices are readily adjusted so that they can accommodate cases that sharply differ in height. That is, they may be selectively adjusted to accommodate half-depth cases, for example, or full-depth cases or cartons. Vertical adjustment is afforded by simply releasing the cap screw 23 slightly to permit vertical shifting of the sleeve 21 along the longitudinal edges of the vertical post 18. This type of locking arrangement also permits quick removal of the hold-down assembly in the event that repair or replacement thereof is required. The ilattened surface 20 of the post prevents rotational movement of the sleeve 21 about the post, and provides a means for automatically mounting the device in the proper position and for locating the angularity thereof.

While in the foregoing specification an embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail for purposes of illustration, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes may be made in those details without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a hold-down device adapted for use with case unloader apparatus, an upwardly oriented post, a sleeve carried by said post and having an arm extending forwardly therefrom, a push-down stud supported by said arm and being movable vertically with respect thereto, spring means yieldably urging said stud downwardly, and a hold-down member carried by said stud and pivotally associated with said post, said hold down member being adapted to resiliently engage an upper edge of a case positioned therebelow.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said hold-down member at its forward end is equipped with an upwardly turned lip to facilitate movement of cartons thereunder.

3. In a hold-down device of the character described, an upwardly extending post, a hold-down member supported for rotational movement about the longitudinal axis of said post and being adapted to receive an upper edge portion of a carton thereunder, a push-down stud,

a shoe connecting said stud and hold-down member, a

sleeve positionably mounted on said post and provided with an outwardly extending arm, the end of said stud opposite the end connected with said shoe being operatively associated with said outwardly extending arm, and spring means biasing said stud downwardly and away from said arm to urge said hold-down member into resilient engagement with the edge of a carton positioned thereunder.

4. In a device of the character described, an upwardly extending post, a guide supported for pivotal movement about the longitudinal axis of said post and having a laterally flared outer end to facilitate movement of a carton into engagement therewith, a guide stud supported for movement in a plane substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said post, means connecting said stud and guide together, means supporting the end of said stud opposite the end associated with said guide in spaced reiation to said, P989, Springmeansbiasing away from said supporting means and in a direction to resiliently urge the guide into engagement with a side Wall of a carton advancing therepast.

5. In a device of the character described, a vertical post provided with a pair of spaced, laterally extending members, the lower of said members being pvotally mounted on said post, a guide adapted to engage a side wall of a carton advancing therepast, a hold-down member adapted to engage an upper longitudinal edge of a carton advancing thereunder, a shoe operatively coupled with said guide and hold-down member, said shoe being mounted on said lower member, a push-down stud pivotally connected with said shoe and being biased downwardly to provide a downward push thereagainst, and a guide stud pvotally connected with said shoe and applying a biasing force thereagainst, both of said studs being mounted on the upper of said members.

6. In case hold-down and case guiding apparatus of the character described, an upwardly extending post, a

bracket plate supported for pivotal movement about said post, a hold-down member provided by said bracket plate, a guide supported by said bracket plate, a shoe secured to said bracket plate, a push-down stud pvotally connected to said shoe and being vertically oriented, a guide stud pvotally connected with said shoe and being horizontally oriented, spring means biasing said push-down stud downwardly, and spring means biasing said guide stud in horizontal direction, whereby said guide and holddown member are each resiliently urged into engagement with a wall of a carton advancing therepast.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which a sleeve is carried by said post and is vertically adjustable with respect thereto, and in which said bracket plate is mounted upon said sleeve for pivotal movement with respect thereto.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 in which a sleeve is mounted upon said post and is equipped with a support arm extending forwardly thereof, and in which a hanger having a vertically disposed leg and horizontally disposed legis carried by said arm, each of said legs being provided with an opening therethrough one of which movably receives said push-down stud and the other of which movably receives said guide stud.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 in which each of said studs is provided with an enlarged end portion, said shoe is provided with openings therein receiving such enlarged portions, and in which a pivot pin extends through said shoe and pvotally supports the enlarged end portions of each of said studs.

10. In a device of the character described adapted for use in case unloader apparatus for guiding cartons into longitudinal alignment within such apparatus, an upwardly extending post, an arm pvotally mounted on said post and having a portion contoured to iit the upper longitudinal edge of a carton, a second arm mounted on said post above said iirst arm, an L-shaped member secured to said second arm and spring urged means connecting the arm portions of said L-shaped member with said contoured portion of the said rst arm.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 377,456 Haitz Feb. 7, 1888 1,011,594 Dunham Dec. 12, 1911 1,365,368 Bliss Jan. 11 ,1921 2,647,670 Cox Aug. 4, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 572,287 Germany Mar. 14, 1933 

